PHOENIX — There have been some technical issues on posting stories on the web today, so I am putting the game story in the blog. ….

The Rockies thought the worst was over. The hazard lights were off, the radiator was no longer smoking. They were racing home Wednesday, only to be reminded that baseball is less sympathetic than a speeding ticket.
After winning the night before despite a comedy of errors, Jorge De La Rosa was punished for a momentary lapse in the Rockies’ 2-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It’s tough to lose this way, but I knew I was facing one of the best pitchers in baseball,’’ De La Rosa said.
For De La Rosa and Arizona’s Dan Haren there was clarity in brevity. Both pitched like they were double parked outside of Chase Field. Through six innings, neither had allowed a run. For Haren, this was nothing new. He’s seen less support these days than a third party candidate. In his first three starts, the Diamondbacks had scored a single run, leaving him winless despite a 1.89 ERA. He tied a season-high with nine strikeouts.
In the seventh inning his fortunes changed, manager Bob Melvin making a successful, if not predictable chess move by pinch-hitting for Haren. Chris Young and Chris Snyder delivered hard singles, leaving runners on first and second against De La Rosa. Pinch-hitter Ryan Roberts – he was easy to recognize as the guy with the tattoo on his neck – smoked a shot into right center, paving the way for Arizona’s first series win of the season.
Center fielder Ryan Spilborghs’ gaffe and Jason Grilli’s misstep provided Arizona closer Chad Qualls with room to exhale in the ninth. He needed it, bringing Clint Barmes to the plate as the winning run. The right-hander extracted himself from danger, getting the infielder to groundout to third base to end the game.
Wiggle room came when Spilborghs, who tied his career-high with four hits, retrieved Roberts’ single, but tried to throw Snyder out at third. Roberts moved up to second on the mistake, though manager Clint Hurdle didn’t take issue with the attempt. De La Rosa then struck out Stephen Drew with bases loaded after an intentional walk, but it left Grilli with no margin for error.
“I was starting to feel a little tired,’’ admitted De La Rosa.
On Tuesday, his was the lone disappointing performance over the final four innings. He issued back-to-back walks, something Hurdle admitted, “We have no time for in the late innings.’’ With De La Rosa redlined at 100 pitches, Grilli was summoned to face Conor Jackson, who was 0-for-4 with a walk against the right-hander.
It was a classic confrontation, the air-conditioned crowd growing more interested with each foul ball. On the 10th pitch, in a full count, Grilli walked Jackson to plate the Diamondbacks’ final run.
“I didn’t want to give him a cookie there because he’s a good fastball hitter,’’ Grilli said. “Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the hitter.’’
It was a bitter close to a forgettable 2-6 road trip. A teeth-gnashing loss when their starting pitcher deserved better.
“You hate to waste a performance like that,’’ Helton said.

PHOENIX — Matt Daley arrived to smiles and handshakes. The reliever, who made a solid clubhouse impression during spring training, joined the Rockies today after catching a 6 a.m. flight from Reno. Jason Hammel, meanwhile, caught a break. He wanted to start and will get the chance, joining the rotation Monday.
The Rockies will place Franklin Morales on the disabled list today to clear a roster spot for Daley. Morales strained his left lat muscle in his shoulder and will be examined by the team doctor Thursday. He’s likely out for a month when you consider the rest and subsequent rehab assignment. Daley will be an early reliever in the bullpen after posting a 1.13 ERA in eight Triple-A appearances, He credited improved command and the tutelage of the veteran catchers – Sal Fasano, Paul Phillips and Edwin Bellorin – for accelerating his growth. Daley’s delivery has compared to Doyle Alexander’s. Or for the kids, his pitching motion looks a little like Jeff Bagwell’s hitting stance.
“People always want to say what he can’t do. He’s not a scout’s dream, but all he does is get outs,” manager Clint Hurdle said
To add Daley to the 40-man roster, the Rockies placed Taylor Buchholz on the 60-day disabled list. It’s a bit of a surprise since it appeared he might be ready by mid May. This means he won’t be available until the end of May, probably not a bad idea when dealing with an elbow injury.
Hammel was stretched out in spring training, so he should be easily good for 70 pitches.
The Rockies are looking to win their first series since the opening week of the season. The lineup is tweaked a bit against right-hander Dan Haren, including a rare start by Seth Smith.

Phoenix — Looking for maximum firepower – as well as another left-handed bat in the lineup against Diamondbacks ace sinkerballer Brandon Webb – Ian Stewart gets the start at second base in today’s season-opener. He replaces usual second baseman Clint Barmes.

“I feel pretty good and pretty comfortable there,” Stewart said this morning from the Rockies’ clubhouse at Chase Field.

Stewart, a natural third baseman, has been getting extensive work at second base during batting practice over the last couple of weeks.

Stewart isn’t overwhelmed by his first opening-day start.

“I’m just going to go out there and relax,” he said. “It’s going to be fun. This is great.”

With Rockies sinkerball pitcher Aaron Cook on the mound, Stewart is likely to see a lot of action.

“It’s really not a lot different than any other time when ‘Cookie’ is out there,” Stewart said. “I knew when I was at third that I was going to get a lot of action.”

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki went out of his way this spring to work with all of the second-base candidates, saying he’s familiar enough with Stewart to feel comfortable.

“Obviously I know ‘Barmie’ better, but we have to find a way to get Stew’s bat in the lineup,” Tulowitzki said. “I think we will be fine. I’ll be there to help him with positioning. He’ll be able to lean on me. We’ll be fine.”

Tucson – Jason Marquis, who’s been told he’ll be the starter for the Rockies’ home opener against the Phillies on April 10, tries to get things right in a Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. Marquis, tinkering with his mechanics, has been pasted, as his 0-3 record and 14.14 ERA show.

Today’s lineup – save for Scott Podesdnik starting in left field – could be the standard lineup this season. With Ian Stewart thrown into the mix whenever possible.

On an Arizona team that saw some of its young hitters regress, Conor Jackson blossomed. He was paid for a strong season, avoiding arbitration with a one-year, $3.05-million deal. Per the Diamondbacks’ policy, there were no incentives. The Royals settled with new first baseman Mike Jacobs, a slugger acquired from Florida, on a one-year, $3.25-million deal. He will receive $25,000 if he makes the all-star team.

The Rockies were feeling a lot better this morning, and it last night’s win was only partly responsible. Pitcher Aaron Cook threw a side session before the game and said there were no problems with his previously stiff back. He said he hopes to pitch Sunday in the series finale at Washington.
Club officials expect to make a decision today. Given that he threw all his pitches pain free, the latest Cook would likely pitch is Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Third baseman Garrett Atkins also returned to the clubhouse following his bout with strep throat. He has lost five pounds after being able to eat only a protein shake and a quesadilla over the past two days. He consumed a big breakfast today and expects to be available to hit even though he’s not in the starting lineup.
“It was the worst thing having to sit at home and watch the games. You don’t even feel like you are part of the team,’’ Atkins said.
In an interesting twist, Clint Barmes took groundballs at first base this morning. That would give the Rockies more versatility if necessary. Barmes has played all of the other infield positions and right field this season. Catcher Yorvit Torrealba was scratched from today’s lineup. No reason was given, but he has been icing a sore knee the past few days.
The Rockies are looking to salvage this homestand with a series win today against the Diamondbacks. Glendon Rusch starts opposite of Dan Haren. The Rockies are 2-9 against Arizona this season. A win would pull the Rockies to within seven games of the Diamondbacks if the Dodgers lose. Los Angeles and Arizona are tied for the division lead.
A look at the lineups:
Diamondbacks (61-59)
SS Stephen Drew
CF Chris Young
LF Conor Jackson
RF Adam Dunn
3B Mark Reynolds
1B Chad Tracy
C Chris Snyder
2B Chris Burke
RHP Dan Haren

Looking for a spark, manager Clint Hurdle tweaked the Rockies’ lineup for this afternoon’s game against the Diamondbacks. Scott Podsednik leads off and starts in center field in front of Willy Taveras. Clint Barmes, who tripled in a pinch-hit at-bat Saturday night, starts at second base in front of Jayson Nix. Both Taveras (.118) and Nix (.083) are off to slow starts.

“We wanted to get everybody involved,” Hurdle said this morning. “We wanted to give Scotty a shot at (Diamondbacks pitcher Edgar) Gonzalez … thought it might be a good matchup for us.”

Barmes, who started one game at second last season, saw extensive work there during spring training.

“He’s done a job, he’s more than adequate there,” Hurdle said. “He’s made that transition, he’s worked hard to do it.”

Defending his club’s sloppy start, Hurdle got defensive this morning, saying that the players don’t need a speech from him to get back on track.

“They hold themselves to a very high level of execution,” he said. “They’re very disappointed when they don’t answer to that.”

Hurdle continued with this speech: “You don’t think Kip (Wells) knows he air mailed that throw over the catcher’s head? You think I need to take him aside and talk to him about it? You think Garrett (Atkins) looks at those plays and thinks well maybe a little step here, a crossover better, a little cleaner break? They’re very aware of their strengths and areas they need to improve on. As I’ve said all along, if we execute well, we win. If we don’t execute well, we put ourselves in jeopardy of not winning. They understand that better than you all do — obviously. They’re intent upon turning that around today.”

Looking to take advantage of Brad Hawpe’s mastery of Arizona ace Brandon Webb, manager Clint Hurdle moved Hawpe up to fifth in the order for tonight’s game, dropping Garrett Atkins to the sixth spot.

Webb, a classic sinkerballer, is one of baseball’s best pitchers, except when he’s throwing to Hawpe, one of baseball’s best low-ball hitters. Hawpe owns a .348 average with four homers and 12 RBIs in 38 at-bats vs. the Diamondbacks’ ace.

“Hawpe’s got a good, long, low-ball swing that can cover a lot of the plate,” Webb said. “It’s a sweet, long swing that’s perfect against a sinkerball. There are a couple lefties around the league that do that, and he’s one of them. He stays on the ball. I’ll have to attack him in a different way.”

Asked if he’ll throw more curves and changeups to Hawpe, Webb said, “I don’t know. I’ll just have to mix it up. I’ll try to use all the pitches and try to keep them off-balance.”

Forget about Matt Holliday’s 1-for-14 start. He’s going to hit and hit well. What’s much more troubling is the state of the Rockies’ pitching. It was shaky during spring training and has yet to stabilize. Three pitchers – Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez – have to win a combined 45-50 games for the Rockies to win the NL West. That’s my prediction.

Tonight, Francis can erase the memories of his washed out opener in St. Louis when he looked like a wild-armed kid in rookie league. Francis said Friday that he’s corrected his problems. We’ll see tonight when he takes on Webb.

In Game 1 of the 2007 NLCS, Francis was terrific, allowing one run on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Webb was charged with the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings.

Rock on, Rockie.
That center fielder Dexter Fowler delivered two hits in Colorado’s Cactus League-opening win over the White Sox was due in part to Guitar Hero. The wildly popular video game was instrumental in helping Fowler heal in his broken right hand last summer. Read more…

Manager Clint Hurdle insists he hasn’t allowed himself to think of the possibility. With a win tonight, his team goes to the World Series. He has shut off his cell phone for much of the last few days, and limited his contact with public. But he hasn’t sealed himself off entirely. His neighbors strung balloons at the mouth of the cul-de-sac, which were in place when he woke up around 6 a.m. Read more…

The toughest decision Rockies manager Clint Hurdle has had to make this season didn’t occur in the heat of a game. It came Wednesday when he decided to put Willy Taveras into the starting lineup as a leadoff hitter, and when he chose to leave starter Aaron Cook off 25-man roster.
Hurdle stood by those decisions today.
“Well, I think our main objective tonight is find a way to beat the Diamondbacks and provide some challenges for Brandon Webb,” Hurdle said. “You don’t like to change some dynamics that are in place, but Willy’s had some success against Webb.”
As for his decision to bypass Cook, the club’s opening-day starter, Hurdle said: “It’s difficult, maybe the most difficult decision I’ve had to make just because of the character of the person involved that you’re talking to. It seemed to me like we were trying to force something to happen because he was such a good man I tried to remove myself from it as we always try and do. I try and do what’s best for the team at the moment.”

By the numbers: The Rockies have lost just once in 25 days entering tonight’s game. … Since League Championship Series play began in 1969, the home team is 40-34 in Game 1. … Rockies first baseman Todd Helton enters tonight’s game batting .083 in his first postseason. Helton went 1-for-12 in the NLDS against Philadelphia.

The Rockies will have to do without Willy Taveras’ speed for one more game. The center fielder, apparently fully recovered from a strained quadriceps muscle, won’t be activated until Saturday. Taveras played four rehab games with Triple-A Colorado Springs, including a 12-inning game Thursday night.
“We just wanted to give Willy a day off, he could use a break,” manager Clint Hurdle said this afternoon.
The Rockies face a Diamondbacks team fresh off an important 8-7 win over San Diego. The victory landed the Diamondbacks a game ahead of the Padres in the National League West. Hurdle said there are three things that stand out about the Diamondbacks this season. First, their ace, Brandon Webb, is a bid for a second straight Cy Young Award. Second, closer Jose Valverde (41 saves) has been outstanding. Third, the Diamondbacks are 30-16 in one-run games this season and have won 11 of their last 12 one-run games.
The Rockies, by contrast, are 12-17 in one-run games.

The Rockies will have to do without Willy Taveras’ speed for one more game. The center fielder, apparently fully recovered from a strained quadriceps muscle, won’t be activated until Saturday. Taveras played four rehab games with Triple-A Colorado Springs, including a 12-inning game Thursday night.
“We just wanted to give Willy a day off, he could use a break,” manager Clint Hurdle said this afternoon.
The Rockies face a Diamondbacks team fresh off an important 8-7 win over San Diego. The victory landed the Diamondbacks a game ahead of the Padres in the National League West. Hurdle said there are three things that stand out about the Diamondbacks this season. First, their ace, Brandon Webb, is a bid for a second straight Cy Young Award. Second, closer Jose Valverde (41 saves) has been outstanding. Third, the Diamondbacks are 30-16 in one-run games this season and have won 11 of their last 12 one-run games.
The Rockies, by contrast, are 12-17 in one-run games.

Omar Quintanilla has taken over as the Rockiesâ€™ starting second baseman for the foreseeable future. His sparkling fielding and improved production at the plate (heâ€™s hitting .250), combined with Jamey Carrollâ€™s continuing struggles (.176), has forced manager Clint Hurdle to go with Quintanilla.
â€œHeâ€™s given us more offense than weâ€™ve seen in the past,â€? Hurdle said. â€œI think itâ€™s in direct correlation to him getting more at-bats. And because of Jameyâ€™s inconsistencies, heâ€™s getting more playing time.â€?
Asked if heâ€™s going to continue riding with Quintanilla as his everyday second baseman, Hurdle said: â€œI think so. Thatâ€™s the way I feel right now.â€?

If history is any indication, Todd Helton is headed for a big day at the plate. Helton owns Diamondbacks right-hander Livan Hernandez. Helton is hitting .500 (28-for-56) with nine doubles, two-homers and a .580 on-base percentage against him.

Dugout chatter
â€œHeâ€™s shown good determination throughout the spring and heâ€™s eager to help this team win. â€¦ Heâ€™s got to keep the ball down in the zone. Downhill plane is crucial for him.â€?
— Manager Clint Hurdle on right-handed pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, who makes his Rockies and Coors Field debut today.

Numbers of note
* During the first two games of the series, Diamondbacks hitters are hitting just .077 (1-for-13) against young Rockies reliever Manny Corpas and Ramon Ramirez.
* The Rockies are chasing the 600th home win in franchise history today. The club was 64-74 in its two years at Mile High Stadium and is 535-430 at Coors Field.

The color purple: For the first time since the 2005 season, the Rockies will wear purple jerseys tonight.

Dugout chatter
â€œI feel like Iâ€™m in an adult timeout, so I want to feel the way itâ€™s supposed to feel. And learn from the error of my ways.â€?
— Manager Clint Hurdle, who is sitting out tonightâ€™s game while serving a one-game suspension. Bench coach Jamie Quirk will manage in Hurdleâ€™s absence.

Number of note: The Rockies struck out 14 times Monday, the teamâ€™s most ever on Opening Day. Seven of the eight starting position players struck out at least once.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.